


not yet

by imposterhuman



Series: pepperony drabbles [12]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Canon Divergence - Iron Man 1, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Pre afghanistan, Unhappy Ending, kind of, soft tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24279970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imposterhuman/pseuds/imposterhuman
Summary: Pepper was far from unused to Tony jetting off to distant countries on business trips. She organized his excursions, most (all) of the time. But this weapons demo in Afghanistan was the first time he’d be going on a trip since they started… whatever it was that they’d started.After years of dancing around either murder or sex, Pepper had finally snapped and chosen the latter. She’d cornered Tony in his lab, holding stacks of overdue paperwork, and had kissed him soundly until he conceded to signing everything that needed signing. The next day, he’d corneredherin her office for a repeat performance. Pepper had never been so up to date on her paperwork.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Series: pepperony drabbles [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1314647
Comments: 6
Kudos: 60





	not yet

**Author's Note:**

> enjoy!!

Pepper was far from unused to Tony jetting off to distant countries on business trips. She organized his excursions, most (all) of the time. But this weapons demo in Afghanistan was the first time he’d be going on a trip since they started… whatever it was that they’d started.

After years of dancing around either murder or sex, Pepper had finally snapped and chosen the latter. She’d cornered Tony in his lab, holding stacks of overdue paperwork, and had kissed him soundly until he conceded to signing everything that needed signing. The next day, he’d cornered  _ her  _ in her office for a repeat performance. Pepper had never been so up to date on her paperwork.

She had no idea what they were to each other, and she was scared to ask, if she was being honest. She didn’t want to be another mindless fling-- not, of course, that she thought Tony thought of her that way, but there was always a  _ possibility _ . She thought she’d made her feelings pretty clear, all things considered, but then she remembered she was dealing with a man who had all the emotional range of a teaspoon. God, but she had no idea why she was attracted to him. 

Anyway, they hadn’t exactly defined their relationship, and now Tony was flying off to Afghanistan, of all places, and Pepper felt like her anxiety was a little justified. What if Tony got back from his trip and decided he didn’t like her all that much anyway, and their years of friendship were lost because she’d gotten fed up and kissed him that one time (okay, multiple times)? 

Pepper put her anxiety out of her mind as much as she could, lest anyone cotton onto it. Her brand was perfectly composed and unflappable; she didn’t need some boy messing that up for her. Especially not Tony Stark, of all people. So she calmly read Tony his itenary on their way to the runway and ignored the fact that her heart was rabbiting in her chest.

“When you land, Rhodey will go with you to the demo site,” she said. Tony appeared to be paying no attention; she didn’t let it irritate her. “Then--”

“I know, Pep,” Tony said, raising an eyebrow at her. “Perfect memory, remember?”

Pepper raised her own eyebrow back. Two could play that game. “Then why do you forget so much paperwork?” she asked sweetly.

Tony winked at her. “Maybe I just haven’t had the proper incentive.”

“If you don’t start doing your damn paperwork, you can kiss that incentive goodbye,” she scowled, ducking her head to hide her blush. She was supposed to be unflusterable, damn it.

“I’d rather kiss you, if it’s all the same,” he rumbled as the car pulled to the stop. “Listen, I know--”

Of course it was right before he left for a week that Tony started to demonstrate some emotional maturity. Suddenly, Pepper was terrified of what he was going to say. She cut him off with her mouth, muffling whatever he was trying to tell her with a firm kiss. Tony yielded easily, but he didn’t let her push for more. He kept the kiss soft, almost chaste where he brushed her lips with his. 

“Pep,” he said hoarsely when she finally pulled away.

“Tell me later,” she pleaded, desperate to stay in this undefined, nebulous space where they were just Tony and Pepper for a little while longer before they had to label things. “Don’t. Just, not now? Please?”

Tony smiled and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Okay,” he agreed easily. “When I get back.”

She took a breath and forced her mind back to appropriate topics. “You’re running late,” she said, ignoring his muttered  _ and whose fault is that?  _ “Get on the plane. All of the information you need has already been sent to your email. Will that be all, Mr. Stark?”

Tony darted in and gave her one last lingering kiss. “That will be all, Miss Potts,” he said cheekily, getting out of the car before she could respond properly.

Just as well; she probably would’ve made him even later, and no one, least of all herself, would’ve thanked her for that. Pepper took a long minute to compose herself before signaling Happy to drive her back to the city.

It was hours later when her phone rang, startling her from her plans of a quiet night in to work. It was Rhodey’s ringtone, she realized with a frown, and she hit  _ accept call  _ almost immediately.

“What did he do?” she said, intimately familiar with Tony’s antics. If there was fondness in her voice, neither she nor Rhodey was going to comment on it.

Rhodey sounded like he was choking back a sob. “He was taken,” he said, and Pepper’s mouth dropped open. “The convoy was attacked. We’re looking for him now, but…”

“Thank you for letting me know,” she said calmly and hung up without another word. She couldn’t handle hearing more. She would, later, when she shifted into damage control mode, but not now. Not when she could still feel the pressure of Tony’s lips on hers. Pepper took one breath, then another, and then her lungs seized. 

She dropped the phone, sank to her knees, and  _ screamed _ . 

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos make me happy :))
> 
> come talk to me on tumblr [@imposter-human](https://imposter-human.tumblr.com/)


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